I haven't been around much lately. I've lurked a bit, the odd comment here and there.
But it is for a good reason...I've been hatching a plan and that plan is to create something out of art and music, a digital something out of words and paint and dreams.
Follow me under the Orange Christmas Cracker to see what it is.
A couple of years ago, I had a dream.
Usually, when I dream, I dream vividly, lots of color, images sprung out of the imagination of a person who has always been visually oriented.
But I had been trying to train my brain to think in music as well as images, which is, of course, using a different bit of the brain. I've been co-writing songs for about 6 years, with some luck, and some success, I've even had cuts!
I've been lucky in that I do love words, and I do love music, and that I always have. I married a songwriter/musician. We moved 18 years ago to Nashville to pursue that dream. Two artists trying to make their way. It has never been easy, but not too many who take that artist path can say that it was.
This particular dream was rare, though not the first of its kind.
I dreamt a song.
When I woke up, all I could manage to write down was the first verse and the chorus, but the melody was clear, and the title was there:
"Blue Painted Wagon".
I brought it to my husband Daryl and our good friend Angela, both professional songwriters, with whom I had written almost all of the songs, well, that I have written.
It became a series of Lullabies, the idea grew into a series of illustrated Lullaby Storybooks with accompanying music.
There is more to that story, but the short version is that it ended up morphing over time, as we peeled away the layers to reveal what we hope is the essence of the idea:
Lullaby Storybook Apps for children.
The genesis of the idea really had started back when I was a baby photographer, looking for music to complement the images parents were seeing for the first time. I wanted music made for children that did not offend the ears of parents. As most parents know, some kid's music is not, well, enjoyable to adult ears.
We wrote all the songs with the idea that these were a group of songs meant to describe, enhance, and embrace the bond of love between parents and children, and children and their parents.
The first song we are going to make into an app is "Blue Painted Wagon". The inspiration painting for the app is "Starry Night", by Vincent Van Gogh. You will see why if you listen to the song.
We want to have each app inspired by a different famous painting, to give parents an opportunity to spend just a small quiet moment talking about art with their children, if they want to.
Well. I have been going on, haven't I?
Detail from the page where the lyric is "Fly across the sky in dreams".
I do have a favor to ask of my fellow Kossacks.
I'm running a kickstarter project right now, and the issue is that projects seem to founder unless everyone else seems interested in them. Kickstarter says that projects do best if family and friends can take it up to about 25% funding, and that then it will get noticed. The only snag to that theory is that most of our friends are musicians and most of our family members who can afford to contribute already have. And we are not even at 25% yet. Yikes.
What I am asking is that my peeps here on Daily Kos is to like our facebook page, and put a link to it on their facebook page, if they have one. That would help so much.
And if you can see your way into supporting the project financially, and only if you think this is a worthy project, could you help us get over that hump so that we get noticed?
If you do pledge, what you are really doing is pre-ordering something that hasn't been created yet, something that has, however, been honed conceptually, researched extensively, and really only needs enough interest and funding to green light it. Besides honing the concept, we have been working with the software, talking with developers, and fine tuning the plan as to how to proceed to negotiate the various platforms, in what order.
A pledge in the name of someone who doesn't really need another present for Christmas would be a fun gift to give. A pledge for a child who loves art and music would be a thoughtful gift as well.
This is making something from dreamstuff. And believe me, it isn't easy. We've been determined for quite a long while, and now, with the Kickstarter project, it is crunch time.
Something we think will be good for kids. They can learn to sight read as the lullaby is sung and the words light up in time to the music.
It is meant to be enjoyed by parents with their children, to combine art, music, lullabies, and to be a soothing way to get babies and children ready for sleep. We are working on a plan to get the app into the hands of a whole bunch of Down's Syndrome kids because the representatives of the Down's Syndrome Research Foundation that another good friend does media events for think that our app would be an excellent art and music therapy tool for all kids with learning disabilities. We think so too!
We've got 21 days to go. We need your help.
Kickstarter project
The project on Kickstarter has music links to the song "Blue Painted Wagon",which is partially recorded, (as in unfinished) and also a work tape version of another song, titled "Daddy Loves You".
Please help spread the word about this project and help to make this Kossack's dream a reality.
Thanks so much for reading down to here!
Merry Christmas to all of you. Here is a Christmas song that the three of us wrote. I hope all of you get to spend Christmas with the ones you love.
4:09 PM PT: I forgot to mention that the art you are looking at is my own. Painted digitally in Corel Painter.